That's right, you guessed correctly why Pike wants to talk to Jim! Of course you did, what else would I do? Have Pike reveal that Jim's evil twin has assumed his identity and was already in Starfleet and dating a Ferengi?

Ha.

I love reading your reviews and I can't wait 'til everything I know about this story is written down and posted. Until then I'll revel in being the puppet master and secret keeper.

I may move some things around a bit in the timeline so the better fit with my story line, so be warned. Or excited. Or whatever.

Chapter Ten

Admirable Talk

The office of Captain Christopher Pike was clean and organized. It was on the ground floor of one of the main buildings on campus. It had a huge window on the wall that nearly encompassed the entirety of the wall. It was possible the most professional office Jim had seen in years.

The captain himself was sitting at his desk. In lieu of an office chair, he sat in a wheelchair, but he looked no less powerful then he would otherwise. His injuries on the Romulan ship had been quite extensive, he had told Jim in the hospital. Nero had used some sort of brain bug to force Pike to speak the truth when questions were asked. The bug had targeted his nervous system, and the damage done could not be easily fixed. His body needed time.

Jim thanked the universe for Nero not using the bug on him.

Pike was not a young man, but Jim would not say that he was old. Seasoned seemed to be the best word to use to describe him. He had a kind face when relaxed, but it held great authority when he was serious, and right now had an edge of tiredness.

Jim stood in the doorway, hesitating to cross the threshold. Pike seemed busy with his paper work, and Jim found himself doubting if he was actually welcome. It felt odd to be here. Everyone, including Pike, wore uniforms. Jim was out of place in his casual citizen clothes.

Just one of many reasons he was different from those around him.

It had been several days since Jim left the hospital, and he spent the past few days wandering around San Francisco, getting a feel for the area and familiarizing himself with the planet's affairs.

Those past few days the Academy had been shut down. The school and Starfleet scrambled around to get ahold of the chaotic mess that followed the destruction of one of the key planets in the Federation and the deaths of the majority of the senior class and a large number of the staff and other Starfleet officers stationed on the destroy ships. Only now was it opening up shop again, so the entire campus teemed with life. Jim had managed to get all the way here without too many people recognizing him. Thankfully the lucky few who did didn't have time to react before he made his escape with nothing but a wink and fuel for the rumors McCoy, his new drinking buddy, said were circulating.

Rumors Jim didn't mind, as they were a fun distractions for stressed cadets.

Pike looked up from his PAD and smiled when he noticed his reluctant guest.

"James Kirk, come in. Please." Pike welcomed. He gestured to a chair on the opposite side of the desk. Jim closed the door behind him and walked forward, hand stretch out in front of him. The two men shook hands over the desk before Jim sat down.

"Nice to see you again, Captain Pike."

"It's Admiral, actually. I've been promoted."

"Admiral Pike, congratulations." Jim corrected himself.

"Yes. Thanks. The rest of the Admiralty appreciated my role in the Narada incident, which is what they are calling it now. I think it's a fair trade, considering the trade off." He gestured to his wheelchair.

"You deserve this. It takes a brave man to willingly be captured, and a smart one to use his surrender as a cover to launch a counterattack."

"But what I did was nowhere near as impressive as what you pulled off, kid."

"Jim. You can call me Jim. I did what I could. It was what anyone would have done in my position."

"Well Jim, it wasn't anyone. It was you. And you are wrong. A lot of people would run. It takes nerve to act the way you did. You are just like your father, George Kirk. For my dissertation I was assigned the U.S.S. Kelvin. Your father had that instinct to leap without looking. Act fast and act bold. It was in his nature, just as I sense it in you. Not just sense, but was proven. And in my opinion it's something that Starfleet has lost and something it now desperately needs."

Jim took a deep breath and shook his head slightly. "Look, I appreciate what you are doing, but I don't really see myself in Starfleet."

A lie. He knew this was coming since his talk with Pike. His father was his childhood hero. He long ago dreamed of enlisting and going into space and get away from it all... A dream he had found another way to accomplish. Lately he has been thinking about the possibility again, and was surprised to find he could actually see it being feasible.

"I do. I looked up your file. Your aptitude test were off the charts, up to the point where you disappeared."

"I just don't think I'm the right fit…"

"If you are half the man your father was, Starfleet could use you."

Jim broke their gaze and looked out the window. From it he could see a large grassy space full of young cadets in red. Some stood around in groups, some lay dispersed about in the grass, reading and napping, while others moved around between classes and study sessions. In the middle of the grass a makeshift memorial had been set up to honor the fallen classmates. It was a freshly planted tree, looking reminiscent of an alien oasis. Jim assumed was native to Vulcan. Flowers, letters, and other offerings were gathered at its base and attached to its branches.

"You don't know what kind of man I am. I haven't been my father's son for some time now." Jim said.

Pike sighed. "You are your father's son… and no amount of running will change that."

Jim stiffened slightly.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"Though there has been no official ceremony yet, due to the current circumstances as Starfleet is stabilizing, I have already been granted all the power and responsibilities that come with the title and promotion. As an Admiral I have a certain clearance in access to restricted and confidential files that, as a Captain, I did not have before."

Jim knew where the conversation was turning.

Jim noticed a brightly colored scarf fluttering in the wind, knotted around a branch of the memorial tree. It was of a popular Orion design, with strands of gold woven in that made it sparkle in the bright Californian sun light. Jim looked back at Pike, whose face hardened as he spoke.

"I know what happened to you on Tarsus IV. I know you were there. As I looked up your record I found you medical record and your statements given after they rescued you. You disappeared days after your rescue while traveling back to Earth. I have a pretty good guess as to why you disappeared. Am I on to something?"

"You might be." Jim said casually, shrugging his shoulders, glancing away from Pike.

"Jim, you can be honest with me, if you want to. I do not need to know why you disappeared or what happened to you while you were gone. I just want you to consider your future. You can keep living like you have been, as a trader or whatever it was you claimed you have been doing these past years when you were debrief, but don't you sense your were meant for something greater? You worked with Starfleet for one day, and you saved a planet. Imagine what you can accomplish if you join and stay."

"I need time to think." Jim answered after a short silence. He stood up and straightened his shirt. Pike's face looked off for a second but he shook it off.

Pike nodded. "Of course."

They shook hands again and Jim walked to the door. The sounds of hustle and bustle from the hall leaked onto the room as Jim opened the door. He paused and turned back around, pushing the door closed once more.

"If I were to join… what exactly would that entail?"

"I'm sure you have somewhat of an idea. Once you are finished at the Academy, with the command track, I assume, you have a required five years to serve. More if you want to stay in longer. After the academy, if all goes well, you will be eligible to serve on a starship. Maybe even my starship. And one day, possibly your own." Pike said.

Jim straightened up, the thought of captaining a Starfleet starship being more than he ever hoped. A dream he never thought possible.

"How long do you think it will take?" Jim asked, for the first time considering the logistics.

"There is a way to fast-track you through the Academy. Three or two years instead of the standard four. You being a 'special' case. It would depend, of course, upon a few tests to gage your current academic levels. Your academic record is a bit outdated. Hopefully you did not get stupider over the years." Jim grinned. Pike continued, "After that who knows? You have quite the reputation already."

"So these tests…?"

"Be here; same time tomorrow. In fact, clear up your days for the next few days around this time."

"What should I study?"

It was Pike's turn to smile.

"Everything."

End of Chapter

"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

-Batman Begins